She and Jace have made sure to visit me on the arrival of the two elders, and look like they are about to go on a secret spy mission, like in the comic we read recently. They have their faces pressed against the window of my room, while we watch the road leading to the pack house. A gray car comes closer, and Beta Oliver approaches it the moment it halts.
He opens the door for an older woman to get out, followed by an even older man. “Elder Geneva,” Beta Oliver greets the woman with a smile before turning to the man. “Elder Samuel. I’m honored you are visiting us.”
Jace, Flora and I continue watching them as they walk towards the pack house, until Hazel approaches them and hugs Geneva.
“Grandma knows that woman,” Flora says, staring at the scene with intense concentration. “She hugged her, so she can’t suck.”
“I agree, if she is Hazel-approved, she is alright,” Jace says.
Hazel turns to Samuel, nodding at him and shaking his hand politely.
“Not so sure about him,” Flora says.
“At least Hazel didn’t punch him.”
“I don’t think Grandma would ever punch someone,” Flora frowns.
“I bet she does,” Jace beams. “She is a cool grandma.”
The two of them bicker for a bit, while I keep looking outside. Geneva raises her head, gazing towards my window. For a moment, our eyes meet and she smiles warmly at me, raising her hand to wave.
I wave back at her.
For an hour or so, nothing happens until there is a knock at the door to the Alpha Suite, and Beta Oliver leads the guests inside. Flora and Jace have positioned themselves next to me like they are my bodyguards.
“Hello Elden,” Geneva is the first to greet me, coming closer to me and taking my hand into hers. “You look just like your mother.”
“You knew her?” I ask.
“Of course, we were good friends.”
I glance towards Hazel, noting how she nods encouragingly at me. “It’s nice to meet you,” I tell Geneva, feeling how my tension melts away a little.
She smiles, gesturing towards Samuel. “That’s Samuel. He is working with me. He is nice, although he looks grumpy.”
Samuel shifts around, looking flustered, but he nods eventually. “We are here to help,” he says.
“With what?” Flora asks bluntly.
“The pack,” Geneva explains patiently. “And Elden is the future Crown Prince. He will have questions eventually, about the prophecy, his legacy, his powers. And so will you.”
Flora blinks, looking at Geneva in shock.
“Why are you surprised?” I ask her. “You are part of the prophecy, too, and you have your lycan already.”
“Right,” Flora beams. “I am cool, too.”
“So, are you his friend or his bodyguard?” Samuel tries with a joke.
Flora just shakes her head, as if he asked the most stupid question ever. “Clearly,” she says, grabbing my hand. “I am his princess.”
eight
Life as it is
10 years later
*ELDEN*